In those distant times, all animals spoke the same language. This was long before man appeared on earth, but also before animals began to discuss dubious marriage matters among themselves. However, this is a completely different story... So, in those days, for example, turtles could say hello to types, monkeys helped kangaroos look after their babies, and water rats and platypuses opened speed swimming courses on the river... Everyone understood everyone without any problems. Once upon a time, a common language served them well.
Many families lived near the river. Birds built nests in the thickets of rose bushes. Otters and water rats built underground dwellings on the steep bank of the river. Beavers built amazing dams. It was real paradise! However, every evening, an hour before sunset, panic seized the animal people. Distraught mothers called their children together with loud cries, and fathers strengthened the family huts with branches and stones. Then everyone tried to quickly duck into a hole or hide somewhere deeper. Night descended on the earth, an oppressive silence fell...
A gigantic silhouette emerged from a cave in the rocky cliff above the river. Despite its impressive size, this dark mass moved quickly and silently. She glided straight to the water, where there were especially many nests. Having knocked them over with blows of its paws, the monster pounced on the contents... Piteous moans and screams were heard. Then everything calmed down: the bloodthirsty Vovi satisfied his monstrous appetite...
It was more than twenty steps long, it had powerful jaws, six paws with sharp claws - in appearance it resembled a gigantic lizard. During the day he slept in his ominous cave, but with the arrival of night he left it, going to devour sleeping animals. Everyone was afraid of him...
One morning the water rats discovered that they were the main victims of the insatiable Wovi, who apparently really liked the tasty, tender meat of their cubs. Depressed and discouraged, the rats mournfully looked at the ruined homes, burying their faces in their paws.
“Stop crying! We need to act immediately! “Everyone turned in the direction from which these words came. Who is the brave man who calls for an end to the hated Vovi? It was a young water rat - an unhappy mother who no longer wanted to put up with the fact that the monster was eating her children. - I agree, he is huge! But there are so many of us! Let us unite in our common sorrow! I have a plan - let's take advantage of the time when the villain is sleeping..."
Very soon all the animals were notified of the impending battle with Wovi: thanks to a common language, the news of this spread for many kilometers around. Even kangaroos, who lived quite far from the river, became participants in the daring plan.
With his belly full, Wovi slept soundly in his lair. In complete silence, the animals dragged dry branches and armfuls of brushwood to the entrance to the cave until a large pile was formed. The flycatcher, who knew the secret of making fire, lit a giant fire. Thick smoke entered the cave, and Wovi immediately woke up. The besiegers heard coughing and fussing, then his movements began to shake the rocks and earth. For six days the animals kept the fire burning, but the monster still showed signs of life. On the seventh day, suffocating, his scales burned, Wovi, in despair, threw himself through a curtain of fire and fell into the river. He was so bad that he sank like a stone. That evening, the water rats held a great celebration, to which they invited everyone who helped them defeat the monster.
Wovi's double
In 1953, French photographer Jacques Vilmino traveled to Australia, where he encountered... Vovi, or rather, his double! It was an iguana - a giant lizard, very similar in appearance to a crocodile, with the head of a snake and on huge bent paws. “Never before have I seen an animal of such a terrifying appearance,” the traveler recalls. “I literally froze with horror at the sight of this monstrous beast.” Iguanas can reach three meters in length, and in the Australian state of Queensland, during excavations, a skeleton was discovered of a representative of this species of ancient lizards... 8 meters long! Is it any wonder that such an animal gave rise to many legends...
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru